NRG Radio is changing the way its programming is delivered

NRG Radio has brought a new wave of radio technology to its premises with its Lawo crystal and sapphire radio mixing consoles, and R3LAY virtual radio mixers. Launched with the claim “we’re gonna change the way you listen to music”, NRG Radio is changing the way its programming is delivered. Its three IP-based studios with visual integration –with equipment from Lawo– are capable of streaming live video from the studio to any Content Distribution Network (CDN), Social Media and other platforms.

As the only broadcast system integrator in Africa to have implemented a similar system, Nairobi-based BYCE Broadcast was contracted to set up the entire to-air chain. This involved equipping three studios, a production room and a Central Technical Area (CTA), as well as the transmission of the broadcast signal.

Three key phases

Three key phases were planned to ensure the progress of the project. These began with the equipment setup for Studio One, installing a 12-fader Lawo crystal mixing console with integrated router, plus advanced radio automation software with HD video playout capability (720p), and 6-channel video mixing software with integral CG and graphics generation to add the station’s logo, news crawls, weather info and custom legends.

The second step was the transmission area, which involved the erection of a 24m mast at the client’s site to facilitate a microwave point-to-point link to the Limuru broadcasting site where an 8-bay omni-directional antenna provides a broadcast diameter of about 100km. At this point, the studio went on-air during the second week of December 2017.

The second studio is equipped with a 12-fader Lawo sapphire console – with the addition of more channel modules, a sapphire can be transformed into a true production mixing console, placing a total of 60 faders at an operator’s fingertips. Features such as Autogain and Automix enable the console to take control of the entire studio.

The third studio is a ‘virtual studio’, which is configured around Lawo’s R3LAY virtual console. Due to its portability, the R3LAY virtual mixing console offers NRG Radio the best fit for its requirements, both in terms of OB, studio operations and the aim to make the studio design special and unique – it’s a futuristic and cool setup, with very few components in studio.